Block Masonry

Block Masonry

Building with concrete block takes skill and talent. When you build with a block, they must be laid true and plumb. Regularly checking the wall to make sure that the blocks stay level. There are many types of blocks, sometimes block are called concrete masonry units, or cmu. The basic concrete block is called a stretcher and is the most commonly used unit in the building of massive commercial buildings. Generally speaking, blocks consists of an outer shell with a hollow center that will have two or three vertical webs. Block masonry units with two vertical webs are the most commonly used. This makes the block units webs larger and easier to place. Reinforcing steel and concrete in. It's inevitably a constructive idea to use reinforcement when you are building a block wall. This is especially accurate if your block wall is a load bearing wall. Walls made of concrete block are the fundamental component of many large buildings. You can also establish a foundation for a house with them. When you are planning your block wall, you will need to check with local building codes that will regulate. Such features as the size of footings and the amount of rebar that they require.

The concrete block is a green building material, this is true in many ways. Block masonry units work well with many other green building materials, such as concrete, plaster, brick, and stone. All of these products have a low impact footprint. All of these building materials come from renewable resources. The concrete block possesses some unique qualities that place them high up when we want to build green. The concrete block can be easily insulated for a prominent factor in more than one way. A building built with block masonry units is slow to heat up and remains cooler on the inside in the summer heat. For a green passive solar design, block walls work well as a base for a stone wall and fireplaces. Block masonry units are usually manufactured locally and do not have to be trucked over long distances. As a renewable resource, block scores high again. Close to 100% of the block material can be recycled. This includes even the mortar and concrete in them.

The concrete block has many uses but some of them are not used in a customary way. From time to time, we will take on a monumental or interesting project. One such projects we did was several beautiful stone masonry walls at the Abeja Winery in Walla Walla, Washington. These walls required a legitimate solid base that went down into the ground to the concrete footings. These stone walls weighed thousands of tons and needed a building material that was low cost, strong as concrete and be able to last underground. Concrete block masonry units were explicitly the right building material for the job. In your own garden, block units make excellent raised garden beds. They can be laid without mortar and hold in place quite well. They resolve some particular things as well. First, they won't leak out creosote on your plants and food like railroad ties will. They can be moved and placed in numerous locations. The block will also act as a passive solar collector and help keep plants warm on cool nights. As a masonry contractor, we have used block masonry units for every possible need and situation. We believe them to be one of the very best building material to work with. If you are proposing a project that you would like to be extraordinary quality and low maintenance, block masonry units come in a wide verity of color and textures. Please give us a call if we can be of help on your next project..

My father once told me that, a person who works with his hands is called a laborer, and a person who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. But a person who works with his hands, head, and heart is an artist.